Last season when the Jacksonville Jaguars took Dawuane Smoot in the third round, it was clear the plan was to have him sit under Calais Campbell a few years and learn the ropes. In his rookie season, he was able to accumulate 20 tackles while serving as the Jags’ No. 2 strongside defensive end. Now, in his second year with the team, Campbell seems excited about what’s ahead for his young teammate and seems to think Smoot is ready to make a big jump.

“We have a great relationship,” Campbell said, per First Coast News. “He’s a young guy who is very smart, loves the game of football, he’s always studying. It’s funny because you always see these young guys, they kinda remind you of yourself at times, and Smoot is definitely a guy where he really flashed a lot […] I try to talk to him and take him under my wing and help him. It’s exciting to see his growth and I’m looking forward to – usually that second year, you see things a little quicker, you know it changes kinda fast – so I’m excited to see what he does this year.”

Similar to Yannick Ngakoue, fans could see Smoot make a big jump in production in his sophomore season as he flashed in 2017 despite not having eye-popping numbers. He was especially sound against the run and amassed a grade of 74.6 against the rush, per Pro Football Focus. And though he flashed as a pass-rusher, he’ll need to work on consistency in the category as he was able to accumulate five quarterback hits out of 161 snaps against the pass.

Under Campbell and defensive coordinator Todd Wash’s guidance, there is a lot to be excited about when looking at Smoot’s future. That said, I could easily see him racking up five sacks and more tackles as he now has a full season under his belt.

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